What
follows is the Rupert River's North Channel route through the Archipelago
from Woollett Lake to the Moon River [Misticawassee Creek] confluence,
just past Lake Mesgouez. The notes pick
up the route at the outlet from Woollett Lake. I
do not have 1:50,000 maps for any of this stretch nor have I paddled this
route. The route described here is
taken primarily from notes (Xeroxed marked 1:50,000 maps) acquired by Gary
Schrier from the Federation Quebecois du Canôt Camping (F.Q.C.C.) for us
in Montreal in 1991.

Day
1

Follow
the western branch of the Rupert at the fork at 51º 13’ North, 73º
50’ West. We had lunch at the far end of the portage at the head
of the Woollett Lake side of the fork in 1993. The Cree camps on Woollett
lake make for interesting anthropological distraction.

The
first rapids of the west fork occurs approximately seven kilometers, as
the crow flies, downstream from the fork, where the river flows northwest
into the second “lake.” The main course of the river flows along
the north side of a large island, and the rapids is found between the east
shore and the island’s northernmost point. The F.Q.C.C. notes mark
it as a 15-meter-long RII. Steve and I found that the volume of the
river rendered most rapids marked RII by
F.Q.C.C. are unrunnable for us in our heavily loaded 17-foot
cedar-canvas Prospectors.[1]
The waves in these rapids tend to be large enough to swamp even our
experienced lads.

The
river narrows significantly a kilometer downstream, as it flows into a
long west bend. The narrows are choked with heavy rapids. This
gorge is marked with an “E.V.” for “Eau Vive,” “quickwater” or
whitewater (that’s “lively water” to you and me Danny) on the
F.Q.C.C. maps. These maps indicate a short portage on the south bank
bypassing a 10 meter RIII at the head of this gorge, followed by a 150
meter RII. Then, a kilometer downstream of the sharp southwest bend
they mark a second RIII of 30 meters where the river opens up into a
broader western channel.

This
stretch seems a little rough to me for the path of the Cree. I would
suggest looking to see if there is evidence of a Cree portage route
leaving the preceding lake midway down its west shore and connecting to
one of the creeks just to the west. A route here would be consistent
with the prevailing Cree logic.

Two
kilometers downstream, where the river turns back north along the path of
an esker, look for a short RI where the river narrows again. Two
kilometers farther along, beyond the ensuing lake-ish section, just before
the east bend in the narrows, the F.Q.C.C. marks a couple hundred more
yards of Eau Vive, this time as RI.

The
river jogs north and then back east a kilometer downstream. There is
a short RII at the east end of this jog. There is more Eau Vive
where the river bends back west a half-kilometer downstream. And
there is one last RII just before the river widens out again due north of
the jog (half a kilometer downstream again). This one is 200 meters
long. I would be surprised if there wasn’t a Cree portage that cut
north across this bend.

Four
kilometers downstream, midway through the SE-NW narrows, the F.Q.C.C. mark
a short portage on the west shore past a 10-meter drop. The 1:50,000
maps show two rapids above this in the narrows, and one after it.
The F.Q.C.C. shows no annotations for these swifts.

There
are several campsites marked along this stretch. None of them
received high marks. They are all found in the west bend below the
first stretch of Eau Vive. The most promising is on the south shore
at the base of the second RII.

Day
2

The
last rapids described above flows into the large body of water at 51º
22’ North, 73º 53 West. I would guess that this lake is a good
spot to plan lunch if you keep to our schedule which errs to the side of
bad weather and the pervasive effects of road dust.

The
1:250,00 maps do not offer an accurate view of the waterways here.
The Rupert flows through myriad braids here. The Rupert flows
through the lake at 51º 22’ North, 73º 53 West via a long NE-SW
channel from Woollett Lake, and a narrow, creek-like channel that flows
west from its large western bay .

But
it also connects to the braids to the north through shallow, steep,
creek-like channels. The westernmost channel leaves the lake north
of the large island in the large western bay, and connects to the eastern,
and closest finger/bay to the north (at approximately 73º 55’ West).
The second channel leaves the lake a kilometer to the east, from the north
side of the long east-west point, passes through a small pond, and meets
the long finger/bay just to the north.

The
F.Q.C.C. route follows the western of the two north channels. There
is an RII marked in the short channel, and a campsite just to its north at
the east end of the finger bay. The channels due west of the lake
are not annotated, although they do not cross any contour lines, and
appear (on my old, twice-waterlogged Xeroxes) passable. The eastern
channel is not marked either. The long northeast paddle towards
Woollett Lake is clear of obstacles by the F.Q.C.C. account.

Paddle
two kilometers northwest to the braid at approximately 51º 22’ 30”
North (the center channel). The ensuing 2 ½ kilometers are run
through with Eau Vive. There is an RIII at the head of the
braid/channel. The notes indicate a portage on the south shore.
The portage is immediately followed by a 100-meter RI. A kilometer
downstream the notes indicate that one should line a 300-meter RII on the
south shore. Two hundred meters downstream one more RII blocks
one’s way, followed by 500 meters of Eau Vive, a 300-meter paddle, and
another 200 meters of the E.V.

This
does not seem a likely candidate for the path of the Cree. But it is
apparently passable. The alternative would be to paddle upstream
five kilometers from the east channel above, and meet the route from
Woollett Lake that follows the north braid. There is a short rapids,
followed by a 250-meter portage on the north shore where the Rupert flows
out of Woollett Lake. The narrows is formed by two long peninsulas
jutting out from the north shore at the west end of the lake at 51º 25’
North. There is also a long southwestern channel that flows out of
Woollett Lake a kilometer south of the marked route.

There
is a short RI between the two long islands 3 kilometers west of the
portage as the crow flies. The F.Q.C.C. maps indicate that one
should run this chute and paddle two kilometers southwest to the head of
the north channel. There is a 300-meter portage on the north bank
bypassing an RIV at the head of the channel. A kilometer downstream
there is 700-meter RI, followed by a long kilometer paddle and another,
short, RI.

The
river is clear for nine kilometers below the second RI (seven kilometers
below the confluence of the center braid). The river bends north,
and then, jogs west, north, and southwest. There are two, short
RI’s at the southwest bend: the first at the island where the river
narrows; and the second just before the river turns southwest.

Paddle
southwest into Lac Bellinger. There is a campsite marked on the east
shore 4 ½ kilometers from the second RI. Paddle past the
first deep bay (oriented roughly due west). The campsite is at the
north end of a large, ¼ square kilometer, bulbous point. It
does not receive high marks from the F.Q.C.C.

Day
3

Paddle
through Lac Bellinger and follow the Rupert out of the lake to the
northwest. There is a 300-yard portage on the north shore at rapids
at the northwest end of the lake. F.Q.C.C. marks these rapids as an
RV.

Six
kilometers downstream the river divides around a large island. The
F.Q.C.C. details a route following the north channel, but indicates the
center channel, “Ce chemin est plus facile que celui de droite.”
What follows is their detailed description of the way they ran the RII in
the northern channel. Paddle the north shore past the 1st and the
2nd islands. GO SLOW and CAUTIOUSLY (my emphasis). The river
snakes around the second island and then flows across the direction of the
river towards its confluence with the center channel. Paddle
southwest, across upstream shore of the line of islands, to the
confluence, and paddle out the west bank of the channel west of the broad
island. The center channel would avoid this long maneuver.

The
maps do not show a route through the southern channel.

There
is a short RI 4 kilometers downstream, followed a kilometer and a half
later by two short RI’s where the river narrows, flows past a long
point, and then through some islands. The maps mark another poor
campsite on the south bank below the second rapids.

Paddle
the west channels around the next large island. There is an RI in
the small islands just before the river narrows into the west channel.
Follow the west side of the island until the river jogs west, where there
is a 250-meter RII. There is a 700-meter RII at the north end of the
island.

There
is an RI where the river bends back west, and two campsites (51º 27 30”
North,’ 74º 19’ West).

[1] We used 17-foot Prospectors
made from the original Chestnut molds by Don Fraser in Fredericton, New
Brunswick, Canada. These canoes can comfortably carry 500-600 pounds
of gear, which is what our canoe loads, paddlers included, probably
averaged at the start of each trip. Don’s catalog lists their
capacity at 950 pounds. I would guess that the heaviest load we ever
asked them to carry was 700 to 750 pounds, which they shipped easily, even
in rapids.